A Spider in the Mansion
by newbienovelistRD
Summary: Star Spider accidentally arrives at the Grant Mansion, at the same time Spider Man comes over to visit. How will that go?


**A collaboration story between Redbat132 and myself. Enjoy and no flames please. Thank you.**

* * *

Somewhere in New York City, underneath an abandoned warehouse, Star Spider aka Rose Hunter was working on her high-tech belt in a lab. This was an old hideout formally belonging to Doc Ock that became shut down ages ago, thanks to Spider-Man foiling his plans. With no one using it anymore, Star Spider thought this was the perfect place for her to do her heroine stuff in secret.

"Just a few more tweaks, and I will be ready to test it out," she muttered to herself, almost done with fixing and improving what she was making. "So glad that dad is out of town on some business trip for the weekend. Gives me the perfect opportunity to fix my belt up from that battle with Beetle."

Despite having a super strict dad that is also one of the main members of the Sinister Six, Rose has found a few advantages in them. Such as, learning Kraven's skills and techniques when going out as Star Spider or leaving the house without him knowing.

Star Spider has also been using one of Kraven's invisible tech on her belt so she could go undetected through the city. Even escape easily from others finding out where she goes. The inspiration came from one of the Synthezoids Doc Ock made in the past. She once looked at her dad's Sinister Six team's old file notes and found Ghost Spider's pic plus info. Fascinated by the deceased Synthezoid's abilities, Rose decided to make the belt to slowly mimic the powers of Ghost Spider. For now, she's got invisibility down, which was easy when having her dad's hunting tech around.

However, when she fought Beetle, her belt got damaged and was unable to go invisible. Which is what led her into crashing at S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy and meeting her heroes unintentionally in the first place. Although not according to plan, Rose was still happy in personally fighting along side them and making it home in time before Kraven.

Now that Spidey and the Web-Warriors are aware of her existence with her dad getting on her case, the female spider needed to step up her game in staying hidden and getting back to her place without being late for a while.

"Okay. Got the belt working again. Time to test it out,"

Already in her heroine outfit, Star Spider got into position before touching a button on her belt that made her completely invisible.

"Perfect! Invisibility is functioning better than before," Star Spider smiled at her success while turning that feature off and activating a new one. "Now, for one of the new features I installed."

Using some flying test drones, Star Spider activated them in using lasers at her. When they fired, all their attacks phased through her like it was nothing. Once they were in range, Star Spider made her move in taking the drones down with her stingers after going back solid.

"Intangibility, check. So far, so good. Now, for my final upgrade: teleportation,"

Normally, Ghost Spider would only teleport short distances during battles. But Star Spider plans on going further than that. She was about to use the belt to teleport her in any place she thinks about miles away, instead of a few feet and inches.

"Let's do this," Star Spider clicked on the third button on her belt and concentrated on where she wants to be.

When that happened, her body disappeared from the lab and reappeared underneath the Brooklyn Bridge.

"Yes!" Star Spider exclaimed, already thinking of the lab again to appear back there in a few seconds. "Three out of three on new special features to my belt. Spider-Man would be proud."

Suddenly, Star Spider's spider-sense began to tingle. Something dangerous was about to happen, but where? Just then, Star Spider looked down at her belt where it began to spark and buzz a bit.

"Uh, oh. I think I celebrated too early," the female spider tried to take off the belt but it wouldn't let go. "No, no, no, no, no! NOT GOOD!"

Before she could do anything, the belt made a bright flash of light in the room. When it finally dimmed down, Star Spider was nowhere to be seen in the room. And this has nothing to do with her invisibility feature at all.

* * *

In a small town called Staybrook, a taxi pulled up to an old iron gate. Behind the gate was a tall hill, resting at the top of the hill was the Grant Mansion, a place considered to be haunted by local townsfolk.

Even the taxi driver looked spooked as he arrived at the mansion's gate. But his passenger wasn't scared at all. In fact, he was smiling!

Peter Parker paid the taxi driver and grabbed his luggage before stepping out of the cab. The vehicle took off like a shot.

"Guess the Grant Mansion still has its haunted rep going strong," said Peter.

Peter Parker walked towards the spooky mansion, eager to see his friends in there. It has been a long while since he last visited. And he could definitely use a break from all the class teachings in S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy with his Web-Warrior friends protecting the city while he's gone.

And who knows? Maybe one of the residents could help him out in his situation involving Star Spider.

Peter walked up to the spooky, old mansion and knocked on the door. When the door opened, a huge, hairy creature jumped out of the darkness and tackled Peter.

The teenage boy let out a scream before laughing when the beast licked his face like an affectionate puppy.

"Okay, okay! Good to see you too, Wildmutt!" Peter tittered.

Wildmutt barked and got off Peter. He was really happy in seeing the Web-Slinger Hero again.

"Ah, Peter Parker. Happy to see you again," a Frankenstein-like alien creature came in and welcomed the teen hero with open arms. "How are things at New York?"

"Doing great. Finally happy to get some RnR," Peter said, as he and Wildmutt walked inside.

"Of course. I'm guessing you're exhausted from coming all the way here. Would you like me to get you anything?" Frankenstrike politely asked.

"No thanks. I'm good," Peter assured.

Wildmutt sniffed around the floors and thought he heard something. Curious, the alien dog decided to part from Peter and venture off into the source.

"What is it, boy?" asked Peter.

"Probably went to find some treats," said Frankenstrike. "So, Peter, why don't you set your things down and perhaps you can help me with an experiment?"

Peter dropped his bags. "Sure thing, I-" He paused. "Wait...what kind of experiment?"

"You'll see. Just meet me at the lab," Frankenstrike said, hiding a playful smile while leaving.

Somehow, Peter had a sneaky feeling on what the Transylian was up to.

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere on the opposite side of the Grant Mansion, a flash of light showed up for a few seconds until Star Spider appeared. She blinked a bit to adjust her eyes before making sure that she was still in one piece.

_'__I'm still alive? Oh, that's a relief,'_ Star Spider sighed while thinking to herself, only to notice that she wasn't in the lab nor recognized the place she was in. _'But something tells me I'm not in Manhattan anymore.'_

Curious, Star Spider tried teleporting herself back home but couldn't. It would seem that her teleporting feature got fried from when doing that unexpected jump.

"Of course," Star Spider deadpanned, taking the belt off to fiddle with it in getting that specific feature working again. _'This shouldn't take too long. The coils on teleporting just got misplaced while the rest seem still intact. At least I ended up somewhere with no one around.'_

Just then, her spider-sense was tingling again and she reacted by flipping up to the ceiling. Star Spider looked down to see a giant orange creature with fur and no eyes roaming around the room.

_'__I have got to stop saying things like that,'_Star Spider muttered in thought while putting the belt back on around her waist and used the invisibility feature.

Wildmutt sniffed around, trying to locate the source of the unknown scent he was picking up. Using the thermographic vision in his gills, he was able to locate the intruder. He pounced and tackled the intruder to the floor.

"What the-?! How did you know where I was?!" Star Spider exclaimed in shock, using both her legs and arms to push the creature back away from her to let go. "I'm not even visible!"

Wildmutt growled in response before lunging towards her. The female spider did everything in her power to keep away from being caught. Even while being invisible, still.

_'Okay, not a problem. I can handle a weird ape-like dog thing. Especially with one that has no eyes yet can somehow get me when being invisible,' _Star Spider noted mentally, while studying her opponent and avoiding all of its attacks. _'Then again, dad always said to never underestimate my prey. Otherwise, I'll end up being hunted. Meaning I need to know more about this new creature, first, before diving in.'_

Wildmutt continued to snarl at Star Spider, trying to catch the intruder. But she was too fast for him with her reflexes.

And just when she was nearly close in being caught again, Star Spider switched from invisibility to intangibility. It gave her a small breather for the time being. When that happened, the creature just kept going through her yet wasn't giving up in capturing his intruder.

However, it's like capturing air when Star Spider is temporarily not solid.

_'Alright, Star Spider, think. This mutt has no eyes but is able to sense where its' going. Clearly, something else must be helping it see what's happening. Question is, how and what?'_

While maintaining her ground, Star Spider noticed that the orange beast's gills act like his own nose. Since he clearly had no eyes, the female spider had a feeling that his power in 'seeing' her is from sense of smell.

_'Gills? Of course! It's using those things to not only get my scent but also hear me. Like the nose of a bear and the ears of a bat all wrapped in one! That's how the creature was able to find me,' _The female spider went solid again, flipped across the room over her opponent from another lunge, and stuck the landing.

Now that his target was tangible again, the Vulpimancer turned around and began to pounce, once more. However, little did he know, that the huntress spider heroine got something planned.

Acting fast when in range, Star Spider fired two web shots opposite from each other. Both ricocheted around until they made direct hits onto Wildmutt's gills on the sides of his neck. This caused to cover the source of his ability to locate his opponent.

"Gotcha! Not so dangerous and useful without your sense of smell, are ya?" Star Spider remarked with a smirk, already making her way to one of the exit opening of this room.

Wildmutt began hitting all over the place in the room, whimpering and growling on not being able to 'see' anything. He seemed to be making a big mess.

Just when Star Spider was about to leave, she couldn't help but feel bad on seeing plus hearing that creature become helpless and nearly hurting itself. If her dad was around, he would already finish the creature off and have its pelt as a rug.

"No…No, this isn't right. I can't end up like my dad who enjoys the pleasure of hurting animals and people. Especially ones defending their home. Still, if there really are more creatures in here, then I got to make sure that thing doesn't draw more attention," Star Spider stated to herself.

The teen heroine shot some webs to wrap Wildmutt's legs together so he could stop running around. She then swiftly cut the webs around his gills off using her stingers and covered his mouth with webbing, instead, so he could still breathe through his 'nose'.

"Sorry, bud. I couldn't stand you injuring yourself. I didn't mean to trespass in your home nor did I come to steal anything," Star Spider reasoned her apology, gently petting on the Vulpimancer's fur remorsefully when bending down to be leveled. "But don't worry. I'll find my way out. You just stay here until your pack comes."

Without warning, Star Spider placed her index fingers on a specific spot on Wildmutt's neck and pressure pointed a nerve that made him yelp before falling asleep. After doing that, she used her stingers to cut out the webs restraining the Vulpimancer and collected them so she wouldn't leave any traces.

"Rest easy, now. I'm sure your family with arrive by the time I find my way back home,"

Saying her small goodbye, Star Spider stood back up and began running through the halls to look for an exit. If only she knew that more strange creatures were coming her way.

* * *

Meanwhile, Peter was running for his life with Frankenstrike right on his tail. "I just came here to relax!" Peter shouted, as he ran on the walls.

"You will be relaxed, once my experiment begins!" Frankenstrike responded.

"No way! Rachel told me about your tickle experiments! I want no part of it!" Peter retorted.

"It's not that kind of experiment!"

"I wasn't born yesterday, Frankenstrike! Besides, if it's not a tickle experiment, then what is it?" Peter argued, still running from his life.

A flurry of striped tentacles grabbed Peter. Ghostfreak phased through the wall. "You're about to find out, Peter."

* * *

In another part of the mansion, Star Spider has gotten herself into some trouble.

"LET ME GO!" Rose aka Star Spider roared, as she was caught by a red-skinned behemoth with four ridiculously strong arms that were wrapped tightly around her.

One minute, she was running through the halls to find a way out. Then the next, her spider-sense went off and found herself snagged by this weird muscle creature.

Her red stingers were no help, either. Whoever or whatever she was fighting against, it would appear that this red creature's skin is nearly as impenetrable as Power Man's. Along with the strength of an angry Hulk.

"Listen, Man-Crab, if you don't let me go right now, I'll be forced to take drastic measures in taking you down!" Star Spider warned.

The four armed "Man-Crab" responded by tightening his hold on Star Spider. She grunted and wheezed as the crushing pain took the fight right out of her. "You're in a bad position right now, girlie. You're coming with us,"

_'Us?!'_ Star Spider thought in her head. To her shock, a blue phantom came up through the floor. His large, insect-like eyes pierced right through her soul.

"Let's take her to the dungeon," said the phantom in his deep, spooky voice.

_'First, an ape-like watchdog. Then, a humanoid-like version of a bulky Malacostraca. And now, a reaper-like Insecta? What's next, a Panthera tigris in a wrestler outfit?'_ Star Spider thought, staying calm yet trying to breathe. _'Well, could be worse. At least I'm not fighting my dad with him knowing I'm Star Spider. Or Kraven hanging my pelt to the wall.'_

* * *

In Frankenstrike's lab, Peter was strapped down to a reinforced torture table. Both Ghostfreak and Goop had to use all their abilities just to keep Peter down.

"Phew! You sure know how to put up a fight, Pete!" says Goop, as he wiped his slimy brow.

"Ew! This feels way worse than being stuck by the Trapster's paste traps!" Peter complained, feeling Goop's slime.

"Hey! Don't compare me with some lame-o's glue product!" argued the Polymorph.

Peter yelped when the slime alien took off his shoes and socks. "Come on, guys! Don't do this to me!"

"Relax, Peter. This won't tickle at all," Frankenstrike said. He put on a strange headband with a magnifying glass attached to it. "I just want to examine your feet and hands to see what makes them stick."

"Seriously?! That's what this is all about?" Peter questioned, completely dumbfounded.

"Of course," Frankenstrike was about to examine Peter's foot until he drew back. He wretched in disgust.

"What's wrong?!" asked Ghostfreak.

Frankenstrike held his nose. "Someone's got a bad case of stink foot!"

"Excuse me?!" Peter said, offended.

"I'll get a bucket of hot, soapy water and some loofahs," Goop volunteered, already going to get these items.

Peter gulped. "Oh, no..."

* * *

Meanwhile, deep in the basement dungeons of the mansion, Star Spider was still not giving up in escaping. Even worse, touching her belt to go intangible is out of the question when her arms are already occupied in being trapped by the creatures second pair of hands. Same goes for using her webs

"All right, creeps. You have less than ten seconds to let me out before I take you all down the hard way!" Star Spider warned, struggling to get out. "Whatever twisted torcher you have in mind for me, I won't talk. You can cut me in half with a laser, electrocute me, drown me, stab me, and dump me in a spiked pit, for all I know. I have nothing to hide,"

Her captors were unfazed. "You sure talk a big game. But we always make our victims crack," said the blue phantom.

"Oh, yeah? Do your worst! Because you're only wasting your time!" Star Spider exclaimed.

The red creature cracked his knuckles. "We'll see about that..." He reached for Star Spider with all four of his hands.

* * *

In the lab, Peter's howls and shrieks were heard. His feet were suffering... Suffering from the most ticklish scrubbing. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! STOP! THAT TICKLES!" Peter roared with laughter.

Ghostfreak and Goop giggled, as they scrubbed Peter's feet. "See? This is why we had to cuff you down, Pete," said Ghostfreak.

"And it looks like we're doing you a favor in cleaning your feet," Goop added, now scrubbing between Peter's toes. "When was the last time you had them washed, anyway?"

"I-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Don't know!" Peter laughed and snorted. "OKAY! You can stop now! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I'M SERIOUS! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I CAN'T TAKE IT! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

To his relief, the aliens stopped. "Okay! Feet sterile!" said Goop.

"Excellent," Frankenstrike got close to Peter's clean foot with his magnifying equipment and pressed a button on the side of his headband. A scanner shined from the headband and analyzed the hero's foot.

"Whoa! Ahahahahahahahahahaha! That tickles!" Peter giggled.

"Try to keep that foot still," said Frankenstrike. He examined closer. "Fascinating. So, you have these tiny hooks on your feet just like a spider!"

"Yeah, heeheeheeheeheeheehee-I could have tohohohold you thahahahahat!" Peter remarked.

"But this is more interesting!" Frankenstrike ran his large fingertip down Peter's foot. The boy's foot quivered in ticklish discomfort.

"Hehehehehehehehe! Stop!" Peter cackled.

* * *

While that was happening, the female spider was having her own predicament.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! STOP!" Star Spider screamed as the four-armed monster tickled her.

Star Spider was strapped to a torcher table with her hands cased in frozen blocks, thanks to that ghost-moth. She didn't expect this kind of torcher. Her stomach, underarms, sides and neck were being poked by this creature's fingers in rapid speed.

"LEHEHEHEHEHET GO! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! THIS FEEHEEHEEHEEHEELS HORRIBLE!"

"If you want me to stop, you'll start talking," said the red monster, not quitting the torture on his victim.

"FOHOHORGET IT! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, I WON'T TAHAHALK!"

Despite this ridiculous torture, there was no way Star Spider was gonna surrender so easily. Not to mention how embarrassing it will be if any of the heroes heard about this.

"She's good. But so are we," said Big Chill, folding his arms. "She could be here for Spider-Man."

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, WAIT! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA-YOU KNOHOHOW SPIDER-MAN?!" Star Spider asked through her laughter.

The four-armed creature stopped, finally giving the female spider a breather. "Depends. Do YOU know Spider-Man? And you better be honest or..." He wiggled his fingers toward Star Spider.

"Whoa, hold it! Easy, Red! I do know Spider-Man!" Star Spider answered immediately. "Met him during a battle with Beetle. He and his hero team helped me defeat him. But how do I know you're telling the truth in knowing Spider-Man and not just saying that to let my guard down in giving you information?"

"Because we trust each other," said the blue ghost. "You, on the other hand, how do we know you're telling the truth?" He got very close to Star Spider's face. "How do we know you're not using my little slip of the tongue against us?"

The female spider shivered from the creature's icy cold breath. "I'm telling you the truth!"

"She is," said an unknown voice.

This startled plus surprised the heroine spider. "Huh?! Who said that?!"

"I did,"

Looking up, Star Spider gasped when she saw a large, blue jellyfish-like creature float down from the ceiling.

"Okay, this is getting more insane by the second! Who and what are all of you?!" Star Spider exclaimed. "Am I in some different planet or alternate dimension or something?!"

"We'll ask the questions here," The jellyfish creature wrapped his slimy tentacle around Star Spider's head. "Are you a friend or foe of Spider-Man?"

Star Spider quivered a bit, but stayed strong and calm by taking a deep breath before releasing it slowly. "I'm a friend of Spider-Man. He and his team are heroes I look up to a lot in becoming one, too. I only came here by accident when testing the new features I added to my belt. I didn't mean to intrude nor cause problems with anyone."

The creature was silent, as if it was trying to sense the truth in the girl's words. "She's telling the truth,"

"You sure?" asked the blue phantom.

"Yep. The brain waves don't lie,"

Star Spider didn't need a hint to know that this jellyfish creature is a telepath who could read minds. And he and the others didn't actually seem so bad. True, their 'interrogation' on her was silly. Not to mention embarrassing…For Star Spider. But if they really were evil and wanted to destroy her, they'd already done it by now.

"Okay, I already proved I'm telling the truth. Now, could you please let me go and explain to me who and what I'm dealing with here? I'm already confused as it is," Star Spider pointed out.

"I don't know about that," said the red monster. "How about a little more truth, Missy?"

"And you better be truthful," The jellyfish warned. "Unless you want to be reduced to a laughing mess again."

"How much truth do you want in convincing you guys that I'm one of the good Spiders?" Star Spider questioned raising an eyebrow on that.

"That you're a surrogate daughter to Kraven, one of Spider Man's enemies. But you wish not to be anything like him," The jellyfish deduced.

That caused Star Spider's eyes to widen and shot a glare at the jellyfish. "Will you stop reading my thoughts?! That was private!" she nearly shouted.

"Wasn't my fault. You were thinking it," The jellyfish replied right back at her.

"Ugh! If my hands weren't occupied, I'd be facepalming right now," Star Spider grumbled, trying to see if she could activate her stingers from her wrists to break the ice incasing them. Not to escape but kind of curious in whether she's strong enough to do it. "Okay, yes! I'm an adopted daughter of Kraven the Hunter. But he doesn't know that I know about his evil double life. And he has no clue about my double life as Star Spider. It's why I'm trying to prove myself that I'm worthy of being a hero. Before I could even join Spider-Man's school of heroes, I need to test my new powers and skills, first,"

Silence came with the creatures looking at each other. Star Spider expected the worse to happen, now that she admitted her darkest secret. Probably do way more damage to her than tickling.

"She's telling the truth," said the jellyfish, now releasing his tentacle around her head. "We can let her go."

"Wait, what?! But I just told you I'm the daughter of a villain! And you're gonna let me go?! Like that!?" Star Spider replied, completely shocked about all of this.

"You told the truth and proved not to be anything like this psychotic hunter. Believe us, we know very well on taking others in who are similar to you, in a way," the jellyfish explained, before looking at the multi-armed creature. "You may let her go now."

Although slightly reluctant, the four-armed creature did just that.

Once feeling the restraints loose, Star Spider got down from the torcher table. "…Not one word to Spidey and the Web-Warriors about this. This whole tickle torture, beatdown loss, and dark secret confessing never happened. I swear, if you do tell, I will stun you with my stingers in places you wish I hadn't paralyzed you in!" she threatened, having a serious glare on her alien captors and bringing out her red stingers from her wrists that managed to break through the ice blocks and free her trapped hands. "Do I make myself clear?"

But, to her surprise, the creatures smiled.

"I'm digging that tough act, Missy. But we won't say a word," said the red creature.

Star Spider sighed, already retracting her stingers. "Okay...Now will someone start answering my previous questions?"

"Okay, okay," said the blue phantom, chuckling a bit. "I'm Big Chill. This is Four Arms and Amphibian. We're aliens. And you are in our home called the Grant Mansion."

"That explains it. I'm guessing that ape-like dog with no eyes is an alien, too, and one of your pals?"

"You mean Wildmutt?" asked Four Arms. "Yep. He is."

"Should have known. He was the first alien I met when I accidentally came here," Star Spider shrugged. "Kind of interesting he relies on his sense of smell as his eyes."

"Yeah, you should see him when he's got a cold." said Big Chill, as they ventured out of the dungeon with Amphibian staying behind. "Snot was oozing out of his gills and he couldn't see a thing!"

"Ewww!" Star Spider turned green in the face. _'That sounds way more disgusting than me sneezing webs out of my nose,'_ she thought to herself, placing a hand on her mouth in preventing a barf to form.

"Speaking of Wildmutt..." Four Arms said. "Here he comes!"

Star Spider was caught off guard when the alien dog tackled and pinned her down.

"Gah! Good boy! Down, boy!" Star Spider exclaimed, trying not to make matters worse. "I'm sorry for almost leaving you blind, tying you up, and knocking you out with pressure point! I swear, I didn't mean to do any harm!"

But Wildmutt growled at that apology. Saliva dripped off his fangs as his fur bristled off his neck.

Four Arms gently stroke Wildmutt's head. "It's okay, boy. She's a friend."

Star Spider looked down in guilt on that statement, fault taking over in both her heart and mind. "...Not really. I nearly hurt Wildmutt. I'm almost as bad as my dad. Maybe he should chew me up into bits for being that awful."

The aliens were surprised by her words. Wildmutt didn't feel so angry anymore. Instead, he affectionately licked Star Spider's face.

However, that still didn't change her mood.

"Please, Wildmutt. I don't deserve doggie kisses," Star Spider carefully pushed the Vulpimancer off her before getting back up. "I thought by not leaving you in the room blind helplessly would make things better. But it didn't. I shouldn't be around innocent animal-like creatures that I could end up killing without even trying. I should leave. Right now."

"Hold on. Don't beat yourself up, kid!" said Four Arms.

"Why shouldn't I?! I'm not staying here for long, anyway," Star Spider argued, taking off her belt to fix that small malfunction in order to head back home. "Just need to repair my belt, first."

Just then, Wildmutt picked up a familiar scent. He pounced forward and saw Peter coming down the hallway. He tackled the hero with big, slobbery kisses.

"Whoa! Hehehehehe, hey! Cut it out, Wildmutt!" Peter chuckled, giving his alien friend a little scratch on his chin and head. "Where have you been?"

Wildmutt responded by grabbing Peter's shirt with his teeth and pulling him toward Star Spider.

"Okay, okay, I'm going!" Peter replied, wondering where that alien dog was taking him.

"Just...One more twist..." Star Spider muttered, nearly done with fixing her belt.

A loud gasp reached Star Spider's ears. She looked and saw a rather handsome young man with brown hair and blue eyes. Not to mention familiar.

"Star Spider?!" Peter exclaimed.

"You?!...Um, you know who I am?" Star Spider replied, trying not to blow anyone's cover.

"You know her, Peter?" asked Four Arms.

"Uh...Yeah, I, um, heard some kind of rumors of a new spider vigilante going around New York," Peter lied, keeping his identity a secret from the new spider.

"So... your name's Peter?" asked Star Spider. "Nice to meet you..." Her eyes darted around the room. "This is awkward."

"Awkward? What do you mean?" Peter asked.

"Um, that I'm, uh...intruding at your house with these alien guys. Yeah, that," Star Spider answered, trying to keep her cool. "Not to worry, though. I was just about to leave."

However, her tech-belt she was holding sparked a bit before releasing an electric shock that made Star Spider drop it and jump back a bit.

_'Well, that's just wonderful,'_ Star Spider thought in a frustrating yet sarcastic tone. _'I'm stuck in an alien mansion with Peter Parker around. How am I gonna get home now with my belt still on the fritz?'_

"Something wrong with that belt of yours?" asked Frankenstrike, already coming in the room next to Peter. "Perhaps Peter and I can take a look at it."

Normally, Star Spider would freak on the inside and fire her webs on seeing someone unfamiliar. But she had a feeling that this Frankenstein's monster that arrived is another friendly alien that lives in the mansion, too, or something like that.

"As long as you don't plan anymore "fun" experiments on me, I'm good," said Peter.

"What?! Uh, I mean, no thanks. I don't need my belt. I could just web out of here straight home. I mean, this place is near New York, right?" Star Spider stated, only to notice everyone having a troubled look on their faces plus completely silent. "Right!?"

"Not exactly. You're in Staybrook, California," Peter explained.

The news left the female spider staggered in disbelief.

"California? Are you kidding me?" Star Spider muttered, facepalming and running her hand down her face with a long sigh. "…On second thought, maybe you could help fix my belt. If it's not too much trouble, I mean."

"No trouble at all," said Frankenstrike, showing his right hand for the female spider to hand over the damaged device.

Star Spider picked up her belt, gave it to the Frankenstein's monster alien, and she watched the two scientists went to the lab.

"Great," Star Spider deadpanned. "Now I'm stuck here a little longer with a bunch of monster aliens. This day just keeps getting better and better."

"How about some girl talk while you wait?" Big Chill suggested, already sitting down and patting on the floor for her to sit.

"Girl chat? Really?" Star Spider questioned. "You're not even girls."

"No, but if there's anything troubling you, we're here to listen and willing to help," Four Arms explained, already joining his cold friend.

Suddenly, Wildmutt pushed Star Spider down and had her head near his body. Giving a small cuddle on her neck that made the female spider giggle.

"Well, I guess I have no other choice now, do I?" Star Spider remarked, lying her head down on Wildmutt's soft fur and looking at the ceiling while in a relaxing position. "I kind of do have this small problem that I'm debating."

"What's wrong, hon?" examined Four Arms.

"I wouldn't say anything is completely wrong. It's just...Should I tell Scarlet Spider the truth of who I am?" Star Spider questioned.

In truth, she has never told anyone about this. And she is wondering if this is a smart move or not.

"And Scarlet Spider is…?" asked Four Arms, both confused and absorbed in this conversation.

"A love interest?" Big Chill guessed.

Star Spider's cheeks began to burn a bit, revealing a small tint of red. "Uh, I don't know if I'd call it 'love interest'. I mean, he is very interesting and I do like him…maybe."

The aliens shared a knowing smile at one another, able to notice a teenaged crush when they see one. And it seems obvious that this spider heroine is crushing hard on who she's talking about.

"So, who exactly is this Scarlet Spider?" Four Arms questioned.

"'Who's Scarlet Spider?' Heh," That made Star Spider smile with a small chuckle. "He's this brooding version of Spider-Man that's part of the Web-Warriors and just the best. He's awesome. In fact, he's the reason I have high hopes in being a true hero, one day."

"Oh, really? How so?" Big Chill asked, very curious and interested as his friends on why their new spider friend would ask such a random question.

"Well, he's been through a lot. Nearly worse than me. Despite his past mistakes in being at the wrong side, Scarlet proved to be an incredible hero in the end and now is part of Spidey's team," Star Spider sighed a bit, giving a sad-like smile. "I really want to tell him first, before Spider-Man. Someone that gets what I'm going through. But I'm just not sure how well he'll take it. He might not even like me when knowing who I am. Kind of weird, right?"

"What's weird about you having a few things in common with him?" Four Arms asked.

"I mean, what if he's expecting someone cooler or tougher, like Black Widow? Or White Tiger? Imagine how disappointed he will be when seeing me," Star Spider explained, feeling unsure with her chances. "Scarlet saw me in action, once. And our first meet wasn't really that good. If anything, he probably thinks I'm lame."

"Well, from what you told us, this Scarlet Spider is a real tough guy," said Four Arms. "And tough guys aren't good with discussing how they feel."

Sadness came upon Star Spider's face.

"But...if you keep doing what you think is right and stay true to what you believe in, I think you have a shot with him," The four-armed alien gave his new friend a wink.

That made Star Spider smile again a little bit. "Thanks, Four Arms. It actually feels nice to have someone to talk to in what I'm dealing with."

"Guess your, ahem, 'father' ain't one for conversation, huh?" asked Big Chill, using air quotes on mentioning Star Spider's dad.

"Eh. Not exactly. Besides, if he knew about me having a thing for a Spider guy, he'll just end up hunting him down like a wild animal until his pelt is hanged to his wall," Star Spider remarked, placing both hands on her face on that scenario while sitting up. "I already told you before that he doesn't know my secret, anyway. It's part of my complicated life."

Four Arms rubbed Star Spider's back. "Don't worry, Sweetie. You just got to take it day by day. Things will work out in time."

"I hope so, Four Arms. I really, really hope so,"

Wildmutt licked the female spider's cheek and cuddled into her lap.

"Appreciate the comfort, Wildmutt," Star Spider spoke with a caring smile, petting on the Vulpimancer's soft fur. "Even after what I did, I'm glad you've forgiven me."

"No problem. We're a friend to anyone in need," said Big Chill.

"And speaking of problems..." said Frankenstrike, whom arrived back in the room. "Your belt problem's all fixed."

Star Spider looked over to notice Peter holding the belt and going to her.

"Have to admit, you really made a cool gadget. I've never seen anything so advance," Peter said, seriously impressed while handing it back to the female spider.

"Thanks. I was testing it out today and, apparently, one of the new features I installed got me teleported in this place," Star Spider replied, already standing up and putting the belt back on. "It's a miracle that I'm still alive from it."

Peter smiled. "Miracles work in many ways,"

"I guess so. Well, I better get going," Star Spider announced, looking at all the aliens plus Peter. "Thanks again for everything, guys. For letting me stay a bit, fixing my belt, and trusting me in keeping your secret. I won't say a word to anyone. That I can assure you."

Four Arms gave her a devious grin. "You better. Or we'll find you and..." He wiggled his fingers toward her.

"Stop that! Not in front of Peter!" Star Spider remarked, immediately punching the Tetramand hard in the arm for that.

Four Arms chuckled. "Didn't feel a thing."

Star Spider groaned, glaring at him before turning to Peter. "Seriously, how do you put up with these guys?"

"With difficulty," Peter admitted. "But they're lots of fun once you get used to it."

"I'll be the judge of that," Star Spider replied, giving a reassuring smile. "Your four-armed friend reminds me of a combination between the Hulk and Power Man. Having impenetrable skin, super strength, and all that."

"Power Man, huh?" said Peter, getting a suspicious feeling on the inside.

"Yeah. My stingers can't even get through in Four Arm's skin. Power Man is pretty much the same. I've seen that hero in action before," Star Spider said. "Along with the others I've looked up to."

"Such as?"

"Oh, you know. The next generation heroes in New York. Teens like me. Most specifically, Spider-Man and the Web-Warriors," Star Spider answered, looking at Peter with an eyebrow raised. "Speaking of knowing heroes, how is it that someone like you knows who I am when I've clearly never made the news anywhere?"

"Uh…" Peter dug through his mind for an answer. He didn't want to slip any information that he was Spider-Man.

"Our reliable sources are better than any news report." said Frankenstrike.

Star Spider still had a doubtful look. But she appeared to buy it. "Fair enough. You guys seem as secretive as S.H.I.E.L.D., and I'm not gonna push it any further. Besides, I really need to head back home. My life is complicated as it already is."

"Well, I hope you make it home safely." said Peter.

"Thanks...Hope you do, as well, Peter Parker," Star Spider replied, petting on Wildmutt before activating her belt to teleport back to where she came from.

Once it was clear, Peter looked at Four Arms, Big Chill, and Wildmutt in surprise. "Okay, can any of you tell me when and how did you befriended Star Spider?!"

The three aliens looked at each other and shared a chuckle.

"Probably around the same time you arrived here. And, as for the 'how', it took come convincing," Four Arms answered.

"Let's just say that she will come around explaining everything about herself to one of your hero friends and then Spider-Man, next time," Big Chill added.

This interested the male spider hero. "Really? Which one?"

"Didn't say," Four Arms answered. "But, I'm sure you'll figure it out. Right, guys?"

Big Chill nodded with Wildmutt barking on that statement.

Of course, Four Arms and the others were lying about who Star Spider wanted to tell her secret identity. Along with who she is. But Four Arms did it because he, Amphibian, and Big Chill promised not to tell Spidey anything that happened. Besides, they trusted her in keeping their secret just as much as she trusted them in keeping hers. Star Spider will reveal everything to Spidey...eventually.

"You make a good point. With the Web-Warriors' help, I'll find out why Star Spider flaked out in joining S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy when she clearly has the power and responsibility for it," Peter stated. "Along with how she knows us very well when we know very little about her."

* * *

When Star Spider opened her eyes, she was back in her father's penthouse.

"Good to be back home," the female heroine stated with a sigh, already taking off the mask and slipping out of her suit into her regular attire. "Not the kind of testing I had in mind, but it went better than I thought."

She sighed as she flopped onto the couch. "I hope things will work out in time..."

Although her future was uncertain, Star Spider aka Rose was happy to found a secret safe haven to visit...One that only Spider-Man knew about, as she saw, too.


End file.
